In the packaging of certain chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer is often required or desires to provide a considerable amount of information concerning the chemical or pharmaceutical. In the case of pharmaceuticals, this is required by government regulations, however, the occasion may also arise, either separate from or in conjunction with government regulations, to provide the doctor, pharmacist or user with instructions on how the product should be used, what the product is, and safety precautions which should be followed in the use of the product. Sometimes the literature, which is generally in the form of folded leaflets, is placed within a box along with the container carrying the chemical or pharmaceutical (referred to as "inserts"). The placement of leaflets within the box is expensive and a cumbersome operation to perform. Also, it is difficult to insure by later inspection that the proper literature has been inserted in the proper package. Most all products are packaged in outer cartons and many are not compatible with inserts. Further, the use of folded cartons is under scrutiny by environmental groups, as involving excessive packaging. In an effort to meet this challenge, many companies are looking at ways to eliminate folding cartons that carry containers inside.
A different approach to solving this problem has developed over the last several years in which the folded literature is releasably attached to the face of the container (referred to as "outserts"), either directly to the container itself, or to a base label which, in turn, is secured to the container. The literature may then be removed by the customer. In such cases, the portion of the label remaining must carry both an "identification" of the product, for example, information such as trademark, manufacturer, etc., as well as certain "statutory information" (for example, lot number and expiration date).
Thus, in order to meet the objectives of such labeling techniques, certain criteria must be met. First of all, the portion of the label which remains after the folded literature product is removed must contain both the identification of the product, as well as the statutory information concerning the lot number and expiration date. Further, after the literature leaflet is assembled or affixed to the base label, the indicated area for statutory information concerning lot number and expiration date must be accessible for stamping or printing by the pharmaceutical company and visible to the consumer in addition to the identification of the product. The folded leaflet portion remains affixed to the label portion until the customer (doctor, pharmacist, consumer) desires its removal. It is critical that the proper literature must be affixed to the proper base label. Finally, all of the above criteria must be accomplished in a manufacturing technique that insures quality and is cost-effective.
Examples of labels designed to eliminate the separate base panel are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,616 to Cowan and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,207,746 and 5,263,743, each to Jones. While the Jones labels and similar known label constructions are well suited for many applications, they suffer from certain significant drawbacks and limitations in manufacture, application, and functionality.
Preferably, the labels are provided as a web comprising a succession of labels disposed on a release liner. It is often desirable to manufacture the labels using "multiple up" books or leaflets. That is, multiple up leaflets including two or more leaflets each are applied to a wide web. The multiple up leaflets are thereafter die cut to form the individual leaflets with strips of waste material disposed between the leaflets of each multiple up leaflet. If the leaflets are directly adhered to the release liner by an adhesive layer, as in the case of the Jones labels, then special provision must be made for removal of the waste portions. Such special provision, if feasible, is typically cumbersome and adds time and expense to the manufacture of the labels. Further, in manufacturing Jones type labels, the die cuts for forming tear lines for removal of selected panels must be accurately placed to avoid cutting through adjacent folds where tear lines are not intended.
When applying leaflets according to the Jones designs to containers, there is occasionally a tendency for the leaflet to lodge against or hang up on the applicator as it is transferred across turn bars and the like. Further, because only a relatively narrow strip of adhesive may feasibly be provided to hold closed the leaflet disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,746 to Jones, there exists a substantial risk of the label becoming unfolded during application.
After a label according to either design has been applied to a container, the paper stock from which the label is formed may be subjected to tearing and/or abrasive forces, for example when the container is dropped into a packing crate. The label may be torn to the extent that it is allowed to unfold prematurely.
The Jones type labels and many similar labels require a certain degree of dexterity on the part of the end user in order to open the labels. Also, once the label has been opened, the panels other than the base panel must be removed or otherwise allowed to dangle from the container. In many applications it is preferable that the user have the option of reclosing the label.
Thus, there exists a need for a multiple panel package label which resists tearing and abrasion. There exists a need for such a package label which has greater integrity. Further, there exists a need for a package label which allows for resealability and provides easy access to the multiple panels thereof. There exists a need for a package label as described above which may be efficiently and cost effectively manufactured, and, particularly, which lends itself to manufacture using multiple up leaflets.
One problem commonly encountered with extended text labels is that, because of the thickness of the extended text label, it is often difficult to apply the labels to round containers. When the label is applied to the round container, a substantial differential is created between the inner diameter of the label (i.e., essentially the outer surface of the container) and the outer diameter of the label (i.e., the outer surface of the laminate cover). The thicker the leaflet and the tighter the diameter of the container, the greater the differential will be. As a result, the laminate cover will be pulled overly tight as the label is applied. Such overtightening causes buckling of the laminate cover and may even cause the label to detach from or fail to fully attach to the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,243 to Van Veen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,239 to Anderson each disclose multipanel labels adapted for application to curved surfaces. Each of the labels disclosed includes one or more self-adhesive base labels to which a leaflet or booklet is adhered. The provision of such base labels increases the material costs of the labels and requires a relatively complicated manufacturing process. In particular, the booklets or leaflets must be properly registered with the base labels. Further, the base labels and the adhesive positioned between the base labels and the corresponding booklets or leaflets substantially add to the overall thickness of the label and, hence, the inner diameter/outer diameter differential.
Thus, there exists a need for a label having the features, characteristics and benefits discussed above, and further being well-suited for automated application to round containers. Moreover, such labels should be cost effective and convenient to manufacture.